I was in the Collins Hill wrestling room as my six-year-old son had just
finished his first-ever wrestling practice. The
younger group of kids was finished for the night and the older kids were now wandering
into the room. Some of these 11-14 year-olds were stretching,
getting ready for practice, others were goofing around with their buddies, some
fidgeted with the weight-lifting equipment, and one crawled on "all-fours" right
past my son and I.

I should've told my son not to stare, but I too was doing exactly
that. You see, Kyle Maynard, then just 12 years old, was in the room. After processing
the whole scene in my head for a few seconds, I reached the conclusion that Kyle
was there merely to support his friends, to try be "one of the guys". "Poor kid"
I thought.

Like so many others before and after that night, my conclusions about the boy with
no arms or legs were wrong. Blatantly wrong. Kyle was there to compete. Kyle was
not to be pitied. Kyle was to be admired. Over the next 6 years, those of us close
to the Collins Hill Wrestling program were blessed to witness first-hand the incredible
story of Kyle Maynard. We watched him lose...a lot. Then suddenly, it seemed, Kyle
started winning...a lot. The lessons Kyle taught us and, more importantly, taught
our children are too many to detail, but suffice to say, we are all better off for
having shared in what I would have thought to be miraculous on that first night
in the Collins Hill wrestling room.

His story is well documented now. A multitude of television appearances, awards,
speaking engagements, and Kyle's biography, "No Excuses", have made Kyle famous.
This season we are honored and excited to have Kyle as a volunteer assitant on the
CHHS coaching staff where he is sure to be an inspiration to a new generation of
Wrestling Eagles.

The Collins Hill Wrestling Family is honored to dedicate this page as a tribute
to someone that has meant so much to so many.